![[I saw three ships]](../img/2009icon.png)
Rose sighed happily and nestled herself deeper into her chair. This was the perfect way to relax after all the running they had done in Japan. The quick rap at her door made her look up from her magazine.
"Are ya decent?"
Before she could reply, the door flew open and Jack sauntered in. "I could've been naked!" she said.
"I know." Jack leered good naturedly.
Rose rolled her eyes at him. "What do you want, Jack?"
"Is that anyway to treat someone who went to all the trouble of creating a surprise just for you?"
"A surprise?" she asked suspiciously.
Jack pulled a piece of black silk seemingly out of nowhere. "A surprise." He leaned over, brushed her hair back, and tied the silk over her eyes—effectively blinding her.
Instinctively, Rose reached up to drag the silk blindfold down.
Jack chided her softly, "To get your surprise you have to leave the blindfold on." He stroked her hair. "You trust me, don't you?"
Rose paused for a minute. She trusted Jack with her life—of that she had no doubt. But did she trust him not to hurt her? Rose thought back over the past few months and realized that she did. Jack had become one of her closest friends. Maybe not as close as the Doctor, but closer than all the friends she had left back at home. "Yes," she said. "I trust you."
"Good," Jack said, and Rose could hear the grin on his face even though she couldn't see it. He gently helped her up out of the chair and led her to door.
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise. Just let me lead you, okay?"
Rose giggled. Jack should know by now that she knew this place better than he did. She had called this place home longer than he had, after all.
Easily, she tracked their progress through the Tardis—down the hall to the console room and around the console a couple of times to try and confuse her, but she kept her bearings. When he led her down the corridor toward the med bay and lab, she frowned slightly. She didn't know what kind of surprise he could have for her down here. Then they walked past the med bay, and instead of turning left into the lab, they turned right. She heard a few clicks, a loud whoosh, and then they entereda room that she'd never been in before.
Rose desperately tried to peer out from under the blindfold, but was unsuccessful. When she reached up to pull it off, she was stopped by Jack again.
"Only a few more steps and I'll take it off," he promised.
Rose nodded in agreement. They walked a bit further, and then came to a stop. Jack swiftly untied the blindfold and pulled it away, leaving her blinking as the room came into view.
It was a small garden that looked as if it had been overrun by weeds at one point, but someone had been carefully tending to it lately. "It's lovely!"
"You should've seen it a couple weeks ago. I practically had to use a machete to get in here."
"A machete?"
"Well, a very large knife and some very odd gardening tools."
"So the Doctor doesn't know that we're here?"
"Not yet." He motioned towards the blanket at their feet and the large pile of cushions. "Why don't we get comfortable and have a drink while we wait for him. He should be here soon if I programmed the Tardis right."
"What are you up to, Jack?"
"I'm just creating a surprise for my two best friends."
Rose laughed at Jack's innocent expression. She didn't think he'd ever been innocent. He'd probably been one of those problem children, always up to no good and getting away with it because of his flashy smile.
"So, is there anything more to this surprise?" she asked as she dropped down onto the blanket.
Jack kneeled down next to her and opened a picnic basket. "Since we didn't get to have a relaxing time in Japan, I thought I'd create one here on the Tardis. I bought some wine on Raxacoricofallapatorius and scrounged up some food in the kitchen." He pulled out three wine glasses and handed them to her.
"What the hell is going on in here?" the Doctor roared as he ran into the garden.
"There you are, Doctor! I was just about to pour the wine. I have great timing, if I do say so myself."
"Timing? You mean there isn't a fire in here?"
"Jack!" Rose gasped, and hit Jack on the shoulder.
"What?! I had to find a way to get him in here for a picnic," he said to Rose, "and I figured you wouldn't be as agreeable as Rose," he said to the Doctor, "so I had to find some other way to get you here. A little finagling and flirting with the Tardis, and here you are!"
"You flirted with my ship?"
"Of course," Jack said with one of his brightest smiles.
Rose's eyes widened. "How do you flirt with a ship?"
"Well, first you have to—"
"You don't want to know, Rose," the Doctor said sternly, "and neither do I."
"Fine, fine. So how about that wine, instead?"
"I'll just be going," the Doctor said, while trying to backpedal out the door.
"Doctor, please," Rose pleaded. She reached out to him. "Just a glass of wine or two and maybe some…" She looked over to Jack asking him silently what else he had brought.
"Cheese and fruit. Plus you promised me a dance if I bought you a drink."
"There's no music," the Doctor protested.
Rose rolled her eyes. As if Jack wouldn't have every single detail planned out.
Jack pulled out a small device, and Glen Miller began to play softly in the background. "And when it comes time to dancem I have some of that Jitterbug you're so fond of cued up."
"Fine!" The Doctor wisely gave up and settled himself on the blanket next to Rose, but he was smiling.
"Rose, the glasses, if you would." Jack poured the blue wine and passed the glasses around, then smiled happily at them both. "To friendship and dancing!" he said.
They clinked their glasses to his toast, then settled in for a relaxing afternoon.
![[fin]](../img/2009banner.png){kind=small}